The ‘I’ in AI Should Stand for Integrity: A Christian Author’s Guide to Using AI Without Losing Your Voice
Let’s be real: AI is here, it’s learning fast, and it’s not going anywhere. And, as Christian writers navigating indie publishing, it’s only natural to wonder if we should use it? Are we even allowed to use it? And more importantly… how do we use it without losing the soul of our work? For those pursuing excellence through paths like the Christian Book Award, integrity matters more than ever.
For those of us who treat writing as both calling and craft, these questions matter. The good news? There’s a way to partner with AI in our writing process without compromising our voice, our values, or the authenticity of our message.
AI as a God-Honoring Assistant
Think of AI like the ultimate assistant: one who works 24/7, doesn’t need coffee, and doesn’t get offended if you ignore half their suggestions. When used wisely, AI tools like ChatGPT can help Christian authors organize their thoughts, save time, and can help us expand the reach of our existing work. The key is to make sure it’s supporting your voice—not replacing it.
As writers, we often have an abundance of ideas and very little time to sort them out. Personally, I’ve dumped messy voice memos, rambling paragraphs, and barely connected devotional thoughts into ChatGPT and asked it to help me make sense of them. What comes back isn’t perfect, but it gives me a framework to work from. It’s still my content, still my theology, and still my storytelling. AI just helped me get unstuck by analyzing what seemed like a bunch of random information and finding the common thread that ties it all together. Taking the chaotic and making it cohesive.
AI to Repurpose Original Work
Another area where AI has been a blessing? Word counts. If you’ve ever had to take a 2,500-word article and chop it down to 1,200 without losing your heart, you know the pain. AI can help you condense without compromising the message. It’s also a gem for repurposing your work—like pulling articles from an already published Christian book or reformatting a long-form blog post into a short devotional. It’s like having your own in-house content editor, right at your fingertips.
Using AI for Research
Then, there’s the research. AI can summarize theological positions, cultural backgrounds, and book marketing trends in seconds. This saves hours—maybe even days—of sifting through endless websites and commentaries. But here’s where the caution flags start waving.
AI is helpful, but it’s not flawless. Sometimes it gets things wrong. It can pull outdated or biased information, it doesn’t always handle Scripture correctly, and it definitely doesn’t grasp nuance the way the Holy Spirit does. That’s why it’s still our job, as Christian authors, to verify everything. We can’t outsource our discernment.
The Pitfalls are Preventable
One of the biggest ethical concerns in the Christian writing space is whether AI is replacing the author’s original work. And let’s be honest: it can. There will be the temptation to just type “write a 60,000 word book on Prodigal Parents” and call it a day. But while that might produce something clean, it won’t be you. It won’t carry your lived experience, your biblical insight, or your unique voice. And it certainly won’t carry the anointing that comes from writing with God. It may open the door to consequences you are not prepared to pay for… plagiarism.
The Risk of Accidental Plagiarism
Most AI models are trained on massive datasets, which means that sometimes, especially when asking for summaries or pre-written content, you might get text that’s too close to existing sources. If we’re not careful, we could end up using language that isn’t fully ours, and that’s a line no Christian writer wants to cross. Not out of fear, but out of a deep desire to steward our gifts with integrity.
Disclosure Matters Because our Reputation Matters
There’s also the matter of disclosure. Our reputation matters. When an author falls, it makes news; but when a Christian author steps out of line, the fall echoes into all of our works. If Christians are to be above reproach, and one of us gets flagged for using AI to create all of their works… it puts the rest of us under scrutiny.
If AI has been a significant part of your writing process, even just as an organizing or editing tool, it’s wise (and often expected) to say so. A simple note in your blog footer or acknowledgments section that mentions using AI tools for assistance is enough. It’s not about making a confession—it’s about being transparent and maintaining trust with your readers. Since AI is a neutral tool, you can get an honest assessment of the work.
Here are two examples: When the work is complete, ask in a prompt to analyze the full article and give the % of original content for vs. AI content. Prompt the AI to write the footnote that accurately portrays how AI was used in the piece. ChatGPT isn’t worried about getting in trouble for being too honest, it will let you know if you are blurring the lines.
So, what can we do to avoid the pitfalls and keep our writing aligned with both our values and our goals?
Tips for Using AI with Integrity
- Use AI to support, not replace, your creativity. Let your ideas lead. Let AI help you shape, refine, or repurpose them—but never outsource the heart of your message.
- Factcheck all research. Especially when dealing with Scripture, historical context, or theological points. Use trusted sources to verify AI’s output.
- Run content through a plagiarism checker. Especially if AI helped with summarizing or rephrasing. A little extra diligence goes a long way.
- Weave in your personal experience and faith. AI can mimic tone, but it can’t recreate your walk with God. That’s where your writing becomes ministry.
- Disclose responsibly. A simple acknowledgment of AI-assisted help builds trust and models transparency for other Christian authors.
Let the “I” in AI Stand for Integrity
At the end of the day, AI is a tool—and tools are morally neutral. The printing press changed everything, so did the internet. And now, here we are at another crossroads in publishing. As independent authors, we have more power than ever before, but that power must be handled with wisdom, prayer, and integrity.
If you’re a Christian writer who values authenticity, don’t shy away from AI. But don’t hand it the pen either. Let it hold your notes, your scraps of research, your outline drafts… but make sure you’re the one telling the story.
After all, if we’re going to use AI, let’s make sure the “I” stands for integrity.
Further Reading from the CIPA Blog:
* The Inclusion of AI in the Publishing Industry
* Embracing the Benefits of AI
About the Author:
Gena B. McCown is a Christian author, speaker, and leadership coach with more than two decades of experience in ministry, management, and mentoring. You can learn more about Gena’s work, books, and ministry at www.GenaBMcCown.com
Footnote on Author’s Note on AI Use: This article was conceptualized, outlined, and directed by the author. AI (ChatGPT) was used for paragraph cohesion and to refine the final structure of the piece. All reflections, personal voice, and editorial decisions belong solely to the author.